Essential Biology G5: Population Ecology

This article really highlights the importance of careful marking techniques in population studies:

Read:

• How do scientists estimate next year’s Total Allowable Catches? (Word doc taken from a CEFAS article that is not there anymore).
• How can we manage fisheries?

Watch:

• 5 Things you should know about the ocean

• Destructive trawling practices
• Bycatch problems
• Fisheries on the Brink
• The End of the Line

About 80% of world catch comes from unassessed fisheries. This is a huge, but fixable problem. Steve Gaines explains, with more links on the SeaMonster blog.

As is overfishing weren’t bad enough – we now have evidence of virtual slavery conditions on board vessels fishing for Europe. And don’t forget The Cove – you will never want to visit a dolphin park again.

IFAW Whales: are whales eating all the fish?

And could this simple plastic ring save millions of fish from a by-catchy doom?

………..o0O0o……….

Great TED Talk:

Dan Barber: How I Fell In Love With A Fish (sustainable fisheries). Watching this, think about the following questions:

• In what ways is this an example of active management in conservation?
• What are the measures of ecological health being used here?

And did you know that Bluefins were worthy of CITES1 status? Barbara Block talks about the ‘fish and chips’ in the challenges of tagging the precariusly-endangered tuna:

I sometimes wonder if Sea Shepherd are perhaps chasing the wrong boats…

………..o0O0o……….

The End of the Line – overfishing superdoc.

This is scary stuff. Get the DVD if you can, or head on over to the book or the official webpage (with video excerpts). They have a very useful what-you-can-eat widget on their website, which can also be used in pdf format. Their Seafood Watch App can be used on iPods, iPhones and iPads, too.

More resources:

Resources about tackling the fishing issue, from endoverfishing.org

………..o0O0o……….

And finally…

Sylivia Earle’s TED Wish: To Protect the Ocean’s Legacy

Jeremy Jackson tells us how we wrecked the ocean:

And here’s Barton Seaver putting forward the idea of restorative seafood – can we eat seafood sustainably?

“Forget nuclear holocaust – it’s the fork we have to worry about.”